The question over what will become of George Floyd Square in south Minneapolis is back up in the air again.
This after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a City Council plan that calls for a pedestrian mall that would close the area to traffic, saying it violates state law because more than 50% of adjacent property owners object to it.
Frey calls that gerrymandering, which is manipulating boundaries to the advantage of one group over another.
"To get around this, what council members are talking about doing is gerrymandering out the property owners, small and local businesses, and gerrymandering in themselves," the mayor said Thursday.
But councilmembers say that's not the case, since the mall would run alongside "The People's Way", which is owned by the city.
“The mayor talks about ‘moving forward’ in vetoing action on George Floyd Square without having ever truly reckoned with the trauma our community experienced and the sanctity of this place," Councilmember Jason Chavez told WCCO Radio in a statement Thursday. "The City Council will continue to honor the life of George Floyd, those who we’ve lost to police brutality, and our community who has been left hanging in the balance after five years of Frey’s indifference to the community’s calls for justice and change. We will continue to pursue a pedestrian plaza at George Floyd Square and honor the sacredness of this place.”
Frey continued, saying this is not the right way to handle what he described as a sacred place.
"At the very least, it's shady," says Frey. "You got a law that clearly says you got to ask people what they think. And then to ignore what they think by only having the city decide that (it) runs counter to what I think, is just the right thing to do."
Frey told WCCO's Chad Hartman it's unclear whether the whole idea is headed for litigation.
The City Council could have enough votes to override his veto as well. A spokesperson for Councilmember Chavez also responded to WCCO Radio about the law Frey cites, saying the full council is aware of it, and confident they're correct in their interpretation.
"That is the reason the motion that Council passed last week calls for a pedestrian mall to 'run along and include the full right-of-way width of Chicago Ave adjacent to 3744 Chicago Ave (aka The People’s Way)' As the City owns The People's Way, the City therefore owns 50 percent of the property adjacent to the pedestrian mall," says Chavez' office. "Under the relevant state law, 51 percent of property owners adjacent to a pedestrian mall are needed to veto a project."